Love songs, Candlelight, and You
by flashpenguin
Summary: Trapped in a motel with Reese, Joss takes the opportunity to throw caution to the wind and implement a plan to seduce the man who has been driving her crazy since day one. Late birthday present for Scherrille. Will be two parts.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a late birthday present for Scherrille. I was hoping to surprise her with a story all of her own on her special day, but alas, life got in the way…again. But it's done now. I did incorporate her prompts: Wine, candles, and high heels, and I took the events of what is happening in Buffalo and wrote a story around it. And this time, Joss is the one with something surprising up her sleeve. Enjoy!**_

_**Dedicated to Scherrille. Happy Birthday, friend. May your year be blessed.**_

_**Song prompt: "Love songs, Candlelight, and You", by Jonathan Butler.**_

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><p><strong>Love songs, Candlelight, and You<strong>

"Hurry!" Joss pleaded through chattering teeth and wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold. Snow whipped around her and Reese, and the wind howled and shrieked, as he numbly tried to insert the keycard into the lock on the motel door.

"Damn it!" Reese muttered under his breath. With his free arm he pulled Joss close to shield her from the elements. Again he tried to unlock the door and failed. Finally, he breathed on the card before inserting it. The green light came on and he turned the handle.

The pair literally fell into the room and stood in awkward silence as they tried to catch their breath.

"Are you okay?" Reese asked the snow covered woman standing before him. He took her coat and hung it beside the door.

Joss nodded her head. "Yeah. You?"

"I'll survive." Reese walked to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels. "Here," he handed one to Joss.

"Thanks." Joss slowly wiped the moisture off her face. "Where did that storm come from?" she asked.

"I don't know. Good thing we found this hotel," Reese replied. He rubbed the towel vigorously over his head. He looked at the thermostat. 72 degrees. They should be warming up quickly. Then they were going to have to find food.

"Yeah. Good thing," Joss agreed. Her trained detective eye scanned the room. One television, one coffee maker, one lamp, and one bed. "Uh, John…? There is one bed."

Reese looked at the double bed with the cheap comforter. "Yep." His body ached and all he wanted to do was sleep…after taking a hot shower. He took off his heavy coat and hung it on the hook beside Joss's.

"There are two of us."

He nodded affirmatively. "Yep."

"So…?"

"We'll discuss that in a minute, Joss. Nature calls." Turning on his heel, Reese walked six steps to the bathroom and closed the door.

"Well, that answered that," Joss muttered under her breath. Feeling the cold slowly leave her body, she moved to the coffeepot. The coffee grounds were generic, but she needed something hot right now, it was going to have to do. Ripping open the packet, she poured it into the filter. Now for the water.

Taking the carafe to the stand alone sink that was located between the cheap closet and bathroom, she filled it to the suggested line. A minute later the aroma of brewing coffee filled the room.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Reese sniffed the air as he stepped out of the bathroom and washed his hands.

"It's not Folgers, but it will be hot," Joss comforted and rubbed her hands together. She looked around the room. It wasn't anything to brag about, but it was warm and was keeping the snow out.

"Did you get a chance to call Taylor?" Reese wondered and sat down on the bed.

"I'll do that right now. Excuse me." Joss walked to the bathroom and closed the door. Her voice was muffled by the door.

Reese sat and watched the carafe slowly fill with the strong brown liquid and wondered how in the world they were going to get out of this one. Stuck in Texas on a case was one thing, but a blizzard in the middle of nowhere was something entirely different. Not that he was complaining, but if the look on Joss's face meant anything, she probably would want to be somewhere else. He was more than prepared to sleep on the floor. After all, it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

"Finch, where are you when…?" His question was cut off as the room was thrown into complete darkness.

"John?" Joss's voice held just a tinge of fear. "John?"

"I'm here, Joss," Reese assured her. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark as he went on high alert. "I think we lost power." He clicked the bedside lamp twice. "Yep. It's out."

Joss groaned. "Great. Now what are we supposed to do?" Her hands blindly reached for the wall. Using the light from her phone, she let it guide her to the bed.

"Wait for the lights to come back on, I guess." Reese was at a loss, but that was the best reply he could come up with.

"And when will that be?" she asked rhetorically.

In the darkness, Reese shrugged. He had no answer. "At least we have the room," he offered up as a consolation.

"Heh. I guess it will have to do. At least I got to talk to Taylor."

"How is he?"

"Fine. He made it to my mother's before the storm hit. He'll stay there until we get back." At least she had that comfort. As for the room and the situation…yeah, that was quite another story.

"He's safe. And so are you."

Joss dropped her shoulders. "How long do you think the power will be out?"

"No idea. Where we are…the ferocity of the storm…" Reese pulled back the curtain and looked out at the swirling snow. Yeah, it was beyond bad. "We could be here for a while." A _long_ while, he amended silently. At least they were inside away from the blizzard.

"I'm thirsty," Joss announced.

Reese dropped the curtain and turned to look at her. "You're what?"

"Thirsty. It's been a while since we stopped for anything to drink. And the coffee…well, that's not going to happen," she pointed out logically. "You think you might be able to get us a couple of sodas?"

"You want me to walk out in the storm and get you a Coke?" Reese was dumbfounded by her off the wall request.

"I did go with you to save a number and now I'm trapped with you in a flea-bag motel in the middle of nowhere. I think a Coke is a small price to pay." She clasped her hands together.

_Joss does have a point_, he argued with himself. "I'll be right back," he said and pulled on his coat and gloves. "Do you need anything else?"

"Whatever they have in the cooler will be fine with me."

Reese pulled the wash cap over his head. "Stay here," he ordered. "Don't open the door for anyone."

"I think I can take care of myself, John," Joss soothed. "I am a cop."

"Just keep the door locked." Counting to three, Reese braced himself for the sharp wind and freezing temperature before opening the door and stepping outside. With a bang, he closed it behind him.

Getting up from the bed, Joss walked over to the window and parted the curtains. She could make out Reese's figure hunched over in the direction of the office. A second later he disappeared.

Yep, she told herself, it was time to put her plan into action. Grabbing the keys to the car, she pulled open the door and stepped outside.


	2. Chapter 2

_Alright, I would have finished the story had sassy Joss not decided to speak up and tell me what was on her mind with her man. I can never deny sassy Joss. So, I guess this is going to be a three chapter story. I hope there aren't any complaints._

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><p><strong>Love Songs, Candlelight, and You<strong>

Reese knew there was something different the moment he opened the door of the motel room and stepped inside. Snow covered and chilled to the bone, he tried to catch his breath as he looked around. On every available area, lit candles flickered to illuminate the walls in a yellowish glow.

Setting the soft drink bottles and bag of snacks on the windowsill, he shrugged out of his coat and hung it up. "Joss?" he called out to the empty room. He went on high alert. Where was she? "Joss?"

His eyes flicked to the bed. Were those rose petals? Picking one of them up, he rubbed it between his fingers. Where had those come from? He threw the petal on the bed. Nothing was making sense.

He saw a bottle of wine resting in the plastic ice bucket on the dresser. Okay, he was definitely intrigued, but also flummoxed. Where was Joss?

"Joss?"

"Hi, John," Joss greeted from the doorway of the bathroom.

Reese blinked. "Joss?" Was that the conservatively dressed detective wearing something he had once seen at a Victoria's Secret? He took a step forward, then stopped. "What are you wearing?"

"I thought I'd get into something a little more comfortable while you were gone." She leaned seductively against the wood frame and tried to play it cool. She had waited for this night for so long, she wasn't going to ruin it by passing out.

Teetering on four inch heels, she walked past Reese slowly enough to let her perfume weave around him. It had been guaranteed to bring any man to his knees. But this was John Reese, so she was going to have to wait and see. Then again, if his sharp intake of breath was any indicator, her fifty dollars had been well spent.

"Where did you get all of this?" Reese gestured toward the candles.

"My go bag."

"You keep this in your go bag?" He had been under the impression that women carried many things in their purses, but it never crossed his mind that they carried wine and candles.

"Only on special occasions." Joss walked over to the dresser. Pressing a couple of buttons, the soft strain of Jonathan Butler's guitar filled the room. "Better." She picked up a glass. "Wine?"

"What?"

"Wine. Would you like some?" she purred, but inside she was shaking like a leaf.

"Uh, sure."

Joss poured the dark liquid into the plastic cups. "Sorry for the glasses, but it was all this place had." She handed it to Reese. "What?"

"I…wasn't expecting…this, Joss," Reese said slowly.

"That I would have plans for our entrapment?" She brought the rim of the cup to her lips.

"I was thinking more along the lines of seduction," he contradicted.

Joss chuckled. "Your CIA training is coming in handy, John. I thought I would have to try a little harder to get my point across."

"I'm not quite that dense."

Joss shrugged, sipped. "But you have taken a few beatings." She set the cup down. "So, do you like it?" She stepped back and struck a pose.

Reese swore he swallowed his tongue along with the wine. "It's…" He searched for the correct word, but nothing came to mind. "…provocative."

Joss rolled her eyes. "Hmmm… I was hoping for something a bit more complimentary, but that will do. I got it for you."

"You don't say."

"If you had done what I had hoped you would when you first saw me in it, I wouldn't have had to say anything." Turning toward the mirror, she fluffed her hair. _Okay, _she thought to herself, _the man is completely clueless. On to Plan B._

"Dance with me."

Reese raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

She shot him a saucy look. "You know: Hold each other tight and move our feet to the music. Dance."

Reese took a huge swallow and tried to think of a good excuse - or at least one that wouldn't get him shot.

"I can't."

"Can't, what?"

"Dance."

"Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately…yes."

Joss thought about it for a moment. "Wow. I didn't see that one coming."

"Disappointed?"

"Hardly. But I figured with all of your talents, you might have a knack for twirling a girl around the ballroom."

"What I do on the ballroom floor can hardly be described as 'twirling'," Reese grimaced. He still had the memory of Homecoming when his attempt to do a basic dance move with his date had ended in disaster.

"When was the last time you tried to 'bust a move'?" Joss wondered. Her plans for a seduction were being blown away by the very blizzard that had trapped them. She was hoping she wasn't going to have to rely on Plan C. At least, not yet.

"Twelfth grade. Why?" Reese took a step back. He wasn't sure about the gleam in Joss's eyes, but he was sure that what ever she had on her mind, it was going to involve him. And ultimate disaster.

"Come here," she ordered and took his hand in hers. She gave thanks for the high heels that brought her closer to his height - though not by much.

"Now, take this hand and put it around my waist," she directed and guided Reese's left hand to where it belonged. "Now, step back. Too far. Right there."

"That's not too bad," Reese stated with relief. Everyone was still in one piece. That was a good sign.

"Listen to the music and move your feet. Look at mine." She made a couple of steps. "Like that."

Reese followed her lead.

"See? No damage inflicted. Now, pull me close."

"Joss…"

"Here." She pulled him to her so his body melded with hers. "Better." Gently they swayed to the music that filled the quiet room. The song finished and changed to another.

"See?" Joss praised. "You did it, and my toes are still intact."

"Not through lack of trying. You know that saying about old dogs and new tricks?"

"Hey! You finally got a saying right. That earns you this." Standing on tip-toe, she pressed her lips to his. Joss felt her knees go weak. Just the electricity alone from their lips meeting was enough to restore the power to the room - if not the area. Pulling back, she drank in his features.

"That's for not stepping on your toes?" Reese asked, his throat suddenly dry.

"Yep." Turning around, she pressed her back to his front and wrapped both of his arms around her waist. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Safe and secure, Joss didn't care what happened next.

"So, what do I get if I do this?" Brazenly, he twirled Joss, but he held his breath. He watched as she spun around in a full circle. Only after she remained upright, did he remember to breathe.

Joss's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Whoa! I wasn't expecting that!"

"Beginner's luck," he boasted.

"Well, then, mister, you are ready for step two." She smiled wickedly and pressed her body to his. "And…" She traced his lips with her finger. "…your next lesson begins now."


End file.
